Rose Garden
by Webdog177
Summary: Yumi is in her third year at Lillian as Rosa Chinensis and, wanting to branch out, she starts to volunteer at an orphanage. There she meets one of her friends, and finds out much more about her than she ever thought before. *Rated T for adult themes*
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru

A/N: Hey everyone! Welcome to my FIRST EVERY REQUESTED FIC! WoooO!

*Ahem* Anyway, this is a request I got from a fan of my previous Yumino fic, **Revenge is a Dish**. I hope it will not disappoint ^.^ If it does... I'm sorry T.T

Off we go!

**Rose Garden**

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**Prologue**

**-Seedling-**

The front door to the doctor's office opened, letting a warm swath of sunlight spill into the small lobby. The only occupant, a middle-aged women sitting behind a desk at the opposite end of the room, squinted towards the doorway. A young girl strode into the room from the sunny exterior, followed closely by an older woman. The two made sure the door shut before approaching the desk at the end of the room.

"Ah! Shimazu-chan, it's good to see you today!" The small, portly receptionist said, sending a smile just as wide as she was towards the young girl that stopped in front of her. "Here for your post-op check-up?"

Yoshino Shimazu grinned up at the older woman, feeling inexplicably energetic that morning. "You bet!" She said, giving a small pump of her arms to show how ready she was. Yoshino's mother gave a tired sigh beside her daughter and shook her head.

"Honestly… Yoshino, if you don't calm down a bit, you're going to hurt yourself." She said warningly.

Yoshino snorted and looked away from her mother. "Right. So I can't be in a good mood this morning?" She said, mock-coldly. "Sensei said the operation went perfectly. I have been taking it easy this week, so why can't I be a little energetic today?"

The receptionist chuckled a bit at that. Yoshino's mother just shrugged helplessly, and walked up to the desk to fill out the required forms for her daughter's check-up. Yoshino stepped back from the desk to pace around the small office while her mother filled out her paperwork.

Truthfully, she had woken up feeling energetic, happy and, for the first time in a very long time, physically able. For the longest time, ever since she could remember, she had been under the handicap of her damned heart. It had always kept her from doing the things she wanted… being who she wanted to be.

If she wanted to get up and run around and play… she couldn't.

If she wanted to join her classmates in a game… she couldn't.

If she wanted to grow up and be a swordswoman (like she wanted at one point, even going as far as to sneak a stick into her room to practice)… she couldn't.

But now, she could actually do all those things. She had undergone surgery for her poor heart condition last week, and pulled through splendidly. She had worried many people, especially her cousin, Rei… but it would all be worth it. She could repair her relationship with Rei, actually make friends with people on their own level, and grow to be the person she always wanted to be. The whole world was open to her now.

It was the perfect start to a new life. It was the perfect time to show everyone the real Yoshino Shimazu.

"Alright, Yoshino," Yoshino's mother called from the counter. "I just need you to sign here and we're all set."

"'Kay!" Yoshino skipped over (carefully!) to the desk and signed her name with a flourish. The receptionist whisked away the form and told the mother/daughter pair to take a seat to wait for the doctor. The wait didn't take long, as the office Yoshino and her mother chose to go to for the post-op check-up was small. After a short couple of minutes, during which time Yoshino sat humming a nondescript song and her mother leafed through a magazine, the doctor opened to door to the lobby.

"Good morning, Yoshino-chan." The doctor said, taking a moment to adjust his eyeglasses to see the girl better. An older man, but still a great physician. Yoshino knew the doctor most of her life through her disability, and was nearly a family friend. In fact, he had been the main correspondence between Yoshino and the hospital she had gotten her heart surgery at. Now that the surgery was over, she could go back to (hopefully) infrequent meetings and check-ups with the kind older man. "How are you feeling today?" He asked with a soft smile.

Yoshino pushed herself to her feet and gave a 'thumbs-up' to the doctor. "Great, Sensei! I feel like a million yen!"

The older man nodded, his bespectacled eyes flicking from Yoshino to her mother, and then back to Yoshino. "That's great to hear. Shall we?" He turned and gestured to the inner office. Yoshino nodded agreeably and walked through the door.

The check-up proceeded normally. A height and weight check (Yoshino had lost a kilogram; one that she was happy about but her mother and doctor were not so much) showed up relatively normal, and then Yoshino was placed on a large, sand-colored table to check the area around her heart. After thorough examination of her chest to make sure the sutures were holding firm, and a gentle cleaning around the cut, Yoshino checked out just as fine as she could be, considering the severity of the surgery she went though not one week ago. In fact, if she continued to recover as well as she had been, the stitches could come out after one more week. That was good news in and of itself.

"Excellent!" Enthused Yoshino, causing her mother to smile worriedly. "I can't _wait_ to actually start doing things at school instead of just pushing everything onto everyone else!" The doctor nodded, albeit somewhat hesitantly. There was something in the man's face that Yoshino didn't quite catch. It was a look that, one that Yoshino found out later, meant that everything wasn't as excellent as the girl hoped for.

"Sensei… is there something else?" Yoshino's mother asked slowly. She had picked up on what her daughter missed. Yoshino blinked up at her mother, and then turned her attention to her doctor.

"Something else?" She asked, confused. "Is there something wrong?"

The old doctor sighed and ran his hand through his greying hair. After a moment, he nodded. "There was… some results that came back." He said slowly.

"Results?" Her mother asked, suddenly sounding much more worried that she had been before.

"It's nothing that will complicate Yoshino-chan's recovery." The doctor backpedaled, holding his hands out in front of him. "It has nothing to do with it actually. But, you should be aware of what came back from some of the more… _esoteric_ tests we conducted." He turned to retrieve a sheet of paper from a folder on the table behind him.

Yoshino felt her mother tense beside her, and suddenly began to feel worried herself. Before she had the surgery, Yoshino had many different tests conducted on her at the hospital; many of them done by the very same doctor that stood before her now.

Most of them were fairly routine. A physical, done at her local clinic, blood tests for HIV, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases (Yoshino hadn't been worried about those), a chest x-ray for tuberculosis, mainly because as a girl she had been exposed to a child that had the disease and as a result had suffered through six months of the most horrible medication in the world to prevent it, as well as numerous other tests done for different genetic issues that could possibly complicate recovery from the procedure. Many of the tests weren't very necessary, but Yoshino-s family wanted to be extra careful. All the tests had taken a little more than a month before the actual procedure; and it had been all Yoshino could do to keep it a secret from Rei. Now that it was over, though, the whole thing seemed silly. She had come through the surgery for the better, so there were obviously no complications.

Right?

"This came back from one of the tests we administered for genetic… complications." The old man said softly, holding out a paper for the mother/daughter pair to take. "Again... it has nothing to do with the procedure or Yoshino-chan's recovery. But, you should be aware of what came back from the lab." He didn't say anything more, so Yoshino's mother reached out to pick the results from the man's grasp.

Yoshino focused on the paper as her mother held it out in front of them. There was a lot of small lettering on the page, so it was difficult to really pinpoint where it was she should be looking. She saw her name, her age and address, birthdate. All things that generally meant this information was about her. That was a start, at least.

Traveling down the page, her eyes finally found the name of one of the tests she had gotten. She couldn't really remember what the acronym meant, but the lettering looked distinctly familiar. The date was next to it and right after that-

Yoshino felt her mother tense again beside her and grasp her shoulder… a little too tightly.

"What-" Yoshino breathed. Medical terminology was never her strong suit, but she was smart enough to know what the words written down meant.

"Oh, Yoshino…" Her mother whispered next to her ear. Yoshino stiffened in response and looked up to meet the older woman's gaze. It was soft, sad, apologetic. It was a look she could never, _ever_, remember seeing on her before. It was a look she had seen on too many people, too many doctors and nurses… it was a look she never wanted to see on her own mother. Not about her.

A slow, painful throb sunk into her stomach.

Yoshino slowly shifted her eyes away from the visage of her mother to rest on the doctor. His face was similar to her mother's, though more practiced. He was practically a family friend, and therefore knew what this meant to them. But, his decades of being a doctor prepared him for moments such as these. Even so, the bow of his head and the understanding eyes that bore into Yoshino's own caused the throb in her stomach to travel up her body to her face.

A mild burn started to prickle behind her eyes.

"Does this mean I can't—?" She started to ask, but her throat constricted painfully, robbing her of speech. She didn't need to ask. She already knew. It was right there in black and white. Her mother, sitting beside her, knew too. That's why she was holding onto her daughter so tightly now. That's why she looked down at her with such sad, apologetic eyes.

Yoshino felt the paper with her future slip through her fingers. Her arm limply fell to her side, not having the energy it had five minutes ago.

"I'm sorry, Yoshino-chan." She heard the old man say.

"I'm so sorry, Yoshino." He mother whispered.

Yoshino took a deep, steady breath. She held it for a few quiet moments, and then cried.

She would be fine. She could still run and play once she fully recovered. She could still make real friends and live the life she wanted as a child. She could do all those things now.

But, from what was said on the simple piece of paper, there was one part of her life that would never be reachable. One part of her future that she could never have. A wish, one she kept from everyone but herself, that she could never fulfill. It was because of that she cried. Her mother pulled her in close and held her tightly. After a moment, the old doctor excused himself without a word. Yoshino felt her arms wrap around her mother. She heard the woman whisper soft words into her ear, and let herself cry away her feelings.

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A/N: A short and somewhat depressing prologue, but important to set up the story. Now that I think about it, aren't a lot of Disney flicks' prologues kinda depressing?

Hmm.

See you on the next chapter!


	2. Chapter 1: Rooting

Disclaimer: I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru

A/N: Prologue was hella-short and kinda depressing, so I wanted to post the first chapter relatively close behind it. 'Nuff said. ^.^

**Rose Garden**

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**Chapter 1**

**Rooting**

_Two years later_

"Rosa Chinensis, would you like some tea?"

Yumi Fukuzawa turned at the sound of her name, or at least her title at school, and smiled at the girl standing next to her. "I would love some, thank you Nana-chan." She said kindly. The girl, Nana Arima, nodded and placed a teacup in front of Yumi. She followed up by filling the cup with warm black tea.

"Here you are." Nana said and, bowing slightly, she retreated back towards the kitchenette in the corner of the room. As she disappeared from Yumi's peripheral, another movement in the room caught her attention.

"Hey, Nana! What about me?" Another girl in the room called out, her dark eyes narrowed and her cheeks puffed out in mock-annoyance. "Yumi-san gets attention whereas I, _your_ _Onee-sama_, get ignored?"

Nana stiffened at the comment and immediately shuffled over to the offended girl, preparing another cup from who knows where. "Sorry, Onee-sama." She mumbled, her dark bangs barely covering the blush that tinged her cheeks. She poured the older girl a cup of the same tea she gave Yumi. The older girl eyed the teacup for a moment, and then shifted her eyes to Nana, who fidgeted nervously under the girl's stare.

Yumi watched the pair for a few long moments, laughing silently as she swilled her tea in front of her lips. Eventually, she placed her teacup back on the table and cleared her throat. "Yoshino-san, I think she's had enough scolding." She felt Nana peer back at her from under the girl's straight, shoulder-length hair. "Right, Nana-chan?"

Yoshino whipped her head around to settle her dark eyes on Yumi, her twin long braids flying with the action. "I'll thank you _not_ to spoil my petite soeur, Yumi-san." She said sternly. Her voice was cool, but her face held an unmistakable sign of humor behind it. "You can micro-manage Touko-chan all you like, But Nana is off-limits to everyone but me!" With that, she snatched up her cup of tea and carefully took a sip.

Yumi's lips curled up into a wider smile. She leaned forward to hold her chin with one hand. "Something comes to mind, Yoshino-san..." She said thoughtfully. Yoshino arched an eyebrow, her lips slowly curling to match Yumi's grin. "For us third years, the second years are like children and first years are like grandchildren. Training children is fundamentally up to the parents... or in your case, you, since Nana is a first year and you are her grande soeur. The 'grandmothers' simply find the grandchildren irresistibly cute and can't help but treat them as such."

"And?" Yoshino cocked her head to the side, her face clearly telling Yumi she knew where her friend was going with this. "That still doesn't explain the fact why you think you can spoil my soeur."

"I'm simply saying that Nana belongs to everyone." Yumi said, shrugging. "She is the only first year in our midst. So it is up to you to train her as your souer, but up to Shimako-san and I to spoil her as a grandchild."

Yoshino considered that for a while, taking in another sip of tea. Nana stood there, still planted beside her soeur, looking a little lost.

Yumi could understand her confusion. As a first year she was all but pushed into the deep end of the Yamayurikai, or the student council of Lillian Academy for Women. And as a result, she had suffered through similar circumstances when becoming soeurs with her Onee-sama, Sachiko Ogasawara.

Thinking of Yumi's grande soeur brought a sudden feeling of loneliness to the girl's chest. But, it disappeared as soon as it happened. The older girl wasn't gone. She had only graduated to attend university. Yumi could still see her when the two of them had free time. She shook her head and focused again on the girls sitting opposite her.

After a few moments of silent contemplation, Yoshino sighed, shrugging lightly. "I give up." She said, bowing her head with a defeated smile. "I can't beat the words of wisdom passed down by the former roses, can I? Just remember that when Touko-chan gets a soeur. I'm gonna spoil her to _death_."

"You'll have to beat me to it, Yoshino-san." Yumi replied with a laugh. She sent a small wink towards Nana, who was also giggling at the idea of another first year being spoiled alongside her. "Shimako-san and I both, I think-"

"My, my… what is so funny?" Came a soft, inquisitive voice from the doorway. Yumi started and turned towards the doorway to find the other half of their group in the process of walking inside. Leading the group was the subject of Yumi's last sentence, Shimako Toudo. Her long, chestnut-colored hair waved slightly with each step she took. Her light, mist-colored eyes swept the room from Yumi, to Yoshino and then to Nana.

From behind Shimako stepped the two second year members of the Yamayurikai, Noriko Nijou and Touko Matsudaira. Noriko dropped her bag quietly beside the table and brushed her neatly trimmed bangs away from her eyes. She bowed towards Yumi and Yoshino, and then straightened herself and made her way towards the kitchenette to prepare some tea for the new arrivals. Nana shuffled away from Yoshino to join Noriko. Touko stepped around Shimako to take a few confident paces towards Yumi, nodding her greetings to the older girl as reached her.

"Yumi-san was scolding me on hogging Nana to myself, is all." Yoshino sniffed, turning up her nose at Yumi disdainfully. "She says that you and she should have full rights to spoil my soeur."

Shimako smiled at that and set her bag down by the table. "Of course that's true, Yoshino-san. Don't you remember when you were a first year and were spoiled by our upperclassmen?"

Yoshino crossed her arms over her chest and grunted. "I just remember them spoiling Yumi-san." She mumbled sourly.

"That's just because I am so cute." Yumi shrugged, barely able to keep a smirk off her lips. Touko coughed lightly into her hand from beside Yumi, very clearly covering a laugh.

Yoshino didn't even bother hiding it; she snorted airily and leaned back, a smirk on her face. "Whatever. You just keep in mind that when Touko-chan and Noriko-chan get soeurs, they'll be spoiled right along with Nana." Yumi didn't see Noriko from where she sat, but distinctly got the feeling that the girl very nearly dropped the kettle she was filling with water at that moment. Touko, on the other hand, now sitting beside Yumi, wasted no time with her comeback.

"When and if I do choose a petite soeur, Rose Foetida," She said diplomatically. "You have free reign to spoil her as much as your heart desires." She raised an eyebrow and cast her cool, controlled gaze around the other occupants of the room. "Providing that _I_ am the only one who trains her."

There was a long silence in the room, during which time everyone seemed to stand still. Finally, Yoshino broke the silence with a low whistle. "Wow..." She said, her eyes wide. "Is it me, or was she just totally channeling Sachiko-sama?"

Yumi chuckled and placed a hand on Touko's shoulder, causing the girl to lean back comfortably in her seat. "It's because she learned from the best." She said proudly, pleased that her petite soeur could act like the previous Rosa Chinensis. Yoshino rolled her eyes and picked up her teacup again, taking another sip.

The girls all lapsed into silence for another few minutes, during which time Nana and Noriko finished their task of preparing more tea. They divided up the four cups for themselves, as well as Touko and Shimako, and each took their respective places beside their soeurs. For a few long moments, no one said much of anything. There wasn't anything that needed doing, being a Friday afternoon. They could go their separate ways and return to their homes, but no one really seemed that inclined to leave just yet. It was a nice afternoon and it seemed a good enough idea to just sit in the relaxing atmosphere of the Rose Mansion and chat while enjoying a cup of tea.

"By the way Onee-sama..." Touko said, setting down her teacup. She used her pinky finger to carefully set the cup down as quietly as she could. Yumi turned towards the girl, showing that Touko had her full attention. "Are you busy on Sunday?"

Yumi blinked at the question, suddenly a little confused. "Sunday?" She repeated slowly.

"Yes. Sunday. Are you available?"

"Why…?"

Touko cocked her head, looking as if such a question was unnecessary. "Because I would like to spend some time with you on Sunday, of course." She explained evenly. Yumi flicked her eyes around the room, taking in the range of expressions from the others. They ranged from mild interest, all the way to sardonic humor.

Licking her lips, Yumi returned her attention to Touko, who kept her gaze steady on the older girl. "I…" She said after a few moments of hesitation. "I would love to, Touko. But I'm afraid I'm— Well, I'm a bit busy on Sunday." Touko's face remained stoic, but Yumi knew the girl well enough to know disappointment when she saw it in her eyes.

"I see." Touko replied. She reached up and flicked one of the curls in her hair. "I understand. I apologize for not asking you further in advance."

Yumi's stomach churned. She hated disappointing her friends… her petite soeur most of all. Desperately, she tried to make amends. "What about tomorrow? I'm free then." She offered, smiling kindly. She reached up and placed her hand on Touko's shoulder.

"I'm afraid I am vising some relatives tomorrow, Onee-sama." Touko sighed, looking down at her lap. "I had only Sunday free."

"Oh…" Yumi said softly, and looked down into her tea. "I'm sorry, Touko." Really, she was. If it were any other day she would have jumped at the opportunity of spending time with the younger girl. But, as it was…

"What are you doing on Sunday, Yumi-san?" Yumi heard from across the table. She blinked and looked up to see Yoshino staring back at her, a light smile playing about her lips. Next to her, Nana looked rapidly back and forward between the two third years, not quite sure if she should step in and tell her Onee-sama that it really wasn't her business to ask what Yumi's plans were. Yoshino ignored that fact and leaned forward. "Could it be that you plan to meet up with Sachiko-sama?"

Yumi opened her mouth to argue her defense, only to have Touko beat her to it. "What Onee-sama does in her free time is up to her, Rosa Foetida. If she plans to meet with Sachiko-sama, then that is her prerogative. Pressing the matter is unneeded." Yumi snapped her head around to gape at Touko. That was _not _in her defense!

"That's good to her!" Shimako said from her seat, her smile wide and bright. "Be sure to tell Sachiko-sama that we say hello!"

Again, Yumi snapped her neck around and blinked rapidly at her friend. Just how had it gotten to this point? Quickly, she began to correct the huge misunderstanding. "No! I'm not seeing Onee-sama!" She said sternly, her tone a little louder than she intended. "I'm not! I'm just... busy."

"Busy." Yoshino echoed, nodding speculatively. "Right."

Yumi leveled a tired gaze at her other friend. She clearly wasn't going to give up until she got the information she wanted. It was no small wonder she was the more forceful member of the Yamayurikai this year. "Actually..." Yumi said hesitantly. "I am starting a part-time job this weekend."

Out of all the things the group expected, that certainly was not one of them. Every eye widened in surprise, and every mouth opened slightly. Yumi felt herself color and she instinctively shrunk into her seat. Was it really that weird to get a part time job? She hadn't thought so... neither had her parents. Her mother and father actually encouraged the idea when she had first brought it up.

"Is that allowed?" Noriko asked out loud, and then stiffened, shutting her mouth when she realized she had. Shimako smiled and placed a hand on her soeur's shoulder.

"I believe so." She explained. "The school allows students to have certain part-time jobs, as long as you get permission from your family, the school as well as the business itself. And as long as it is under a certain number or working hours per week." She nodded to herself, and turned her attention back to Yumi. "Is that correct?"

"Ah- yes, that is right." Yumi agreed. She had to jump through a few hoops, but her petition to begin her part-time job was approved last week. "I start this weekend, and will work every Sunday."

"What kind of job are you doing, Yumi-san?" Yoshino asked, her head resting in her crossed arms on the table. "Waitress? Cashier?" She grinned lopsidedly. "Hostess?"

Yumi scoffed. "It's a secret, Rosa Foetida." She said archly to the girl across from her. "I still haven't even started it yet, so I don't want to talk about it in case it doesn't work out."

Yoshino continued to eye Yumi for a few moments longer, a look crossing over her face that Yumi couldn't quite make out, but it quickly disappeared behind her usual visage. She smiled tightly and scoffed. "Well, if it does work out for you, and you do end up making some money, your treating us to lunch sometime." She said with a wink.

Yumi laughed and placed a hand on Touko's shoulder comfortingly. She still felt bad about being too busy for the younger girl, and was determined to make it up to her sometime soon. "First comes Touko, and then comes the rest of you."

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A/N: I may keep most chapters short (between 2000 and 5000 words) this time around, depending on my mood. Some may be short, like this one. Others may be longer, depending on the content. We'll see!

See you on Chapter 2!


	3. Chapter 2: Germination

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1... or the Prologue.

A/N: Sorry for the hella-long delay with this chapter! I'd love to say I made it extra long to make up for it but... that would be a lie. I got distracted halfway through march with FFX HD remake for my Vita as well as my Rosario + Vampire story and... bah. Excuses excuses. Anyway, I should have somewhat continuous updates for this story for the next couple weeks, and I am also back working on PATS as well. So... yea! Long time no see, y'all! Nothing has been dropped! ^.^

Before we get started with this _slightly_ longer than last chapter, I wanna thank Shi-san23, TruePrime, and insomniac1970 for your comments! There was also a guest but... -,- I dunno who left it. Lulz. Also thanks to anyone who fav'd or followed Rose Garden. .

**Rose Garden**

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**Chapter 2**

**Germination**

The sharp ringing sound of Yumi's alarm clock pulled the third year student out of a sound sleep. Opening her eyes, she stifled a groan and sat up in her bed, looking around with bleary eyes. As she stretched her arms over her head and yawned comfortably, she suddenly remembered what it was that kept her awake until late last night.

Today was Sunday! She was starting her part-time job today!

Filled with a fresh excitement, she slipped out of her blanket away and threw her legs off her bed. She dashed to her wardrobe and, pulling out a handful of clothes she had chosen the night before, she exited her room into the hallway. She made her way to the bathroom and readied herself with a refreshing shower, took extra time tied her hair into two matching ponytails using twin crimson ribbons, and brushed her teeth after washing her face. Satisfied that she looked presentable enough, she slipped into her underwear and chosen blue jeans. Slightly annoyed that it took a few extra moments to fasten the waistband of her trousers, she fastened her bra and a shrugged into a sky blue blouse and left the bathroom, all but flying down the stairs to the kitchen on the first floor.

"Good morning Yumi!" Her mother greeted as she entered the kitchen. "You're starting to work today?"

Yumi smiled and sat herself down at the table in front of a plate of food. "Yup!" She said, picking up her fork and digging into her eggs. "I'll probably be back later this evening. So don't wait up." She said after swallowing her first mouthful.

"I'll save you some dinner then." Her mother walked over and sat down across from Yumi. She watched her daughter eat for a few minutes, smiling. Eventually, the older woman sighed softly. "You first job…"

Yumi looked up, her mouth full of sausage. "Hmm?"

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking of how old I'm getting."

"You're not old mom. You're still in your forties."

Her mother shrugged. "Only a matter of time before I'm fifty. And then sixty. And then I'll be over the hill." She smiled wistfully and held her chin in her hands. "Some grandchildren might help, though."

Yumi scoffed and shoved another forkful of egg into her mouth, ignoring the comment as she chewed. Children was not a topic she really wanted to talk about with her mother. Not that she was adverse to the idea of children someday… but that's just what it was: _someday_. That kind of thing wasn't for a long time coming. She still had the rest of high school, and university after that. And then, who knows?

"And speaking of which, are you nervous about working with children?"

The brown-haired girl looked up at her mother and smiled widely. "Not one bit!" She said enthusiastically.

It was true, after all. Working with children had always been something of a desire of Yumi's, one that she had kept to herself for the longest time. And when she had stumbled across the owner of an orphanage while she was out one afternoon a couple months ago, she finally found a way to meet that desire.

"I'm looking forward to it!"

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Holding the slip of paper with the directions to the orphanage tightly in her fingers, Yumi stepped off the bus and hopped up onto the sidewalk. The bus groaned away loudly, causing the girl to walk a few paces further away to avoid the exhaust that spewed out from the vehicle, and quickly disappeared into traffic.

Yumi coughed lightly and straightened her blouse as she squinted up at the bright sun beaming down on her. She knew it was the mid-morning and still had lots of time before she was expected, but her excitement and the butterflies in her stomach gave her cause to pick up her feet and set off at a quick walk.

She was excited. Today was her first day of real work. And not only that, but it was doing something she had always wanted to try! Taking care of children was something she had toyed with in her mind for a long time, and now that she actually found a job doing just that, it was almost too much excitement for her to handle.

The orphanage she found to work Sundays at was fairly small, Yumi knew, but it was also well-known around the district. Most in Japan were full of unwanted or neglected children, and this one was no different. But what made Yumi so enthusiastic about this particular orphanage, what made her want to work at this one and only this one, was the owner.

She had only met the kind older woman a couple times. Once as a first, chance meeting at the local market, and again when she contacted her to ask about a position at the orphanage.

Immediately after meeting the owner, Chiaki Shima, Yumi admired her. Tall, beautiful, refined, and funny, the woman was everything Yumi hoped she could be when she became older.

Not to say that Yumi didn't think of her Onee-sama, Sachiko, equally, if not more so. She absolutely did. Yumi still thought the world of Sachiko, and the fact that the two were in separate schools in no way diminished that. But, Yumi was smart enough to know she would never grow up to equal Sachiko in terms of… well… being _Sachiko_. There was only one Sachiko Ogasawara in the world, and Yumi was quite happy with that fact.

But the woman who owned the orphanage was so more reachable for Yumi. A true role model Yumi wanted to emulate. And she was going to start working with her and learn from her! She hadn't been so nervous since she was a first year student, fresh from recently become soeurs with her Onee-sama!

But it wasn't a bad or frightening nervousness. It was fresh, and positive. Yumi wasn't the unsure girl she once was at sixteen. She had two whole years of experience behind her, both leading as well as teaching, and she was sure she could handle this no problem.

The walk to the orphanage took longer than Yumi originally thought. Due to, in part, quite a few twists, turns and even more dead ends along the route from the bus stop. A trip that was supposed to take less than thirty minutes ended up taking almost an hour. But, luckily, Yumi's over-excitement gave her cause to leave an extra forty minutes early and therefore gave her reassurance that she would indeed not be late on her first day.

Along the way, she spotted a small park nestled between two houses.

As parks went it was fairly small. About the size of a regular home's foundation, it didn't have much space or equipment. But, the designers obviously knew what they were doing and used what space they had available to the best of their abilities.

The first thing Yumi noticed was the slide in the middle of the park; large enough for children as well as toddlers - as long as they were properly supervised. Surrounding the slide was a ring-shaped sandpit running the circumference around the slide. The entire effect reminded the architect's daughter of a European castle and a moat she had seen in history books and, more recently, on television. Along the far edge of the park were a pair of swings that swung lazily in the warm breeze.

Aside from the slide, the sandpit-moat and the swings, as well as a couple benches lining the area, the park was relatively bare.

Yumi considered the park as she walked by. It was smaller than most, yes, but this generally being a residential district, she assumed the neighborhood children would come to play at the park after school and on weekends regardless.

Smiling to herself, Yumi passed the park and continued towards her destination. After ten minutes of walking and passing houses, she had arrived.

The building itself was larger than most houses. Yumi had assumed it would be, considering the establishment was created to house a number of children without families to care for them. When she had corresponded with the owner of the orphanage before, Yumi learned that there were currently twenty-two children living there. About the size of a small primary school class roster, Yumi recalled thinking at the time.

Yumi stood in front of the long building for a few moments, taking in its wooden walls and the well-kept foliage surrounding it. The building itself didn't look distinctly Japanese, but that was to be expected this day and age in a place like Tokyo - even a smaller district therein. The plot stretched most of the way down the block, but the building only taking up half of the allotted land. The rest of the plot was open to the air and sky, though with light fencing running around the outside of the plot. Yumi could hear the sound of children echoing from the area, and instinctively recognized the sounds of children playing outside.

Not able to keep the smile off her face, Yumi kicked up her heels and headed towards the entrance. She approached the double doors and, knowing she was more-or-less expected around this time, she opened the door and walked inside.

The inside was just as she expected; large, open, rustic, and friendly. Pictures littered the walls of children, caretakers, and different people Yumi could only guess the identities of. There were a few tables scattered around, as well as chairs both large and small. There were large areas set aside for children to sit and play with assorted toys and games, a corner of the large room clearly dedicated to books (there was a large bookshelf stuffed full of colorful-looking books), and even a gigantic carpet set in the middle of the room for children to relax on and do whatever they wanted to do. The whole look of the room reminded Yumi of her time spent in kindergarten years ago, and it filled her with a kind of giddiness that she had to fight from bursting out from her stomach.

There were a few other doors at different parts of the room. Doors that, Yumi assumed, led to other areas for sleeping, eating food or an office for the caretakers to use. All in all, the place seemed as much of an orphanage as it did a haven for children. It was just the impression she had gotten from the owner when she had talked with Yumi before. And it was just another reason why the third year high school student wanted to work here.

A sound drew Yumi's attention away from her thoughts, and she turned to see an older woman enter the main room from one of the side doors. Her long, dark hair was streaked with silver, clearly showing her age but also a certain dignity that the same age had brought to her. Her face was sharp and defined, and offset by her large and expressive eyes. She wore a long-sleeved, purple blouse and dark slacks, as opposed to the dresses (or kimonos) usually favored by similarly older Japanese women.

She stopped her walking as she entered the room when she noticed Yumi standing by the entrance. She blinked a few times, taking in Yumi's overall appearance, and then her face took on a look of happy recognition.

"Ah! Yumi-chan!" She said, smiling warmly as she shifted her direction to approach the younger girl. "I wasn't expecting you for another hour."

Yumi felt her face warm and she clutched her bag softly in her hands. "Uh... sorry, Shima-sama. I was excited to start today so I..." She trailed off, noticing the bemused smile on the older woman's face.

The woman shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Yumi-chan. You are more than welcome anytime. And please, call me Chiaki. It makes me feel younger." She winked at Yumi. "Though, just a little bit, I'm afraid."

Yumi laughed, remembering the kind, friendly disposition of the woman she had met only a month before. "Thank you, Chiaki-sama." She bowed at the waist. "I am ready to start."

Chiaki nodded, regarding her warmly. She pursed her lips in thought and shifted her weight to another foot, her slacks shifting with the motion. "I can see that. I want to thank you again for taking the time for helping us here. Since our last volunteer graduated and returned to her hometown, we have been slightly short-handed here. We can't pay you much, as you know..." She shrugged, smiling guiltily. "But I will try and compensate you fairly."

Yumi squared her shoulders and returned Chiaki's smile with one of her own. "I understand, Chiaki-sama. I will try and be as helpful as I can be."

Truthfully, Yumi didn't care much about being paid for her time. She considered her new job here as much a part-time job as it was a voluntary service, and didn't truly expect to be paid all that much... if at all.

But, in their negotiations, Chiaki had pressed the issue of compensating Yumi for hours worked every couple weeks. Yumi tried to decline at first, but the older woman had been adamant. In the end, the pair reached a mutually beneficial agreement that would be kept between the two of them.

"I am happy to hear that." Chiaki said, bowing in return to Yumi's earlier gesture. "Well," She stood and peered towards a doorway. "The children are all outside playing right now. I'll go and fetch our other student helper. Meanwhile the office is through that door. You can store your things there, and she will be with you momentarily to show you around and introduce how things work here."

"Oh... alright." Yumi said, slightly disappointed that Chiaki wouldn't show her around herself.

Chiaki seemed to pick up on Yumi's disappointment and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "The other helper has been here for a long time, and is extremely nice. I think the two of you will get along splendidly. We can talk later, alright?" She smiled warmly, causing Yumi so smile in turn.

"Alright. Thank you, Chiaki-sama."

"Thank you as well, Yumi-chan." She said and, giving Yumi a gentle push towards the office, she turned and exited through another door. Yumi sighed happily, still full of excitement at the prospect of starting her new job, and entered the office behind her.

The office itself was just as an office should be. A few desks, some assorted stacks of paper, a small refrigerator, a couple closets and cabinets for storage, and another door which Yumi assumed led to Chiaki's private quarters. She knew the older woman lived in the orphanage herself, which only made Yumi respect the woman more.

Yumi found a somewhat empty-looking desk and walked over to it. For the time being it seemed that she could use this desk, at least until Chiaki or her _Senpai_ pointed her in the direction of a better one to use. Putting down her bag on the wooden desk, Yumi shifted her gaze around to glance towards the adjacent desk, and felt her eyes narrow.

On the desk was a bag; a large tote, really. Big enough to hold quite a few articles that a girl might need or want, it was bright yellow and clearly had the tell-tale touch of being homemade to it. It was impressive at first glance, and prompted Yumi to get a closer look. Something about the way it was made seemed familiar to her…

As she craned her head to get a good look at it, something on the side caught her attention. Embossed clearly on the side of the tote was a neatly stitched likeness of a rose.

A yellow rose.

"Y-Yumi-san?!"

Yumi's back stiffened at the startled sound of her name, and she whirled around to see the shocked, wide-eyed face of her best friend and fellow Yamayurikai member, Yoshino Shimazu, staring at her from the open doorway.

0 – 0 – 0

A/N: I really love those cliffhangers, don't I? Nahh It's not REALLY a cliffhanger... but to those who think it is: sorry! I'll have the next chapter up in a couple days.

Aaaanyway... thanks for reading, anyone who made it this far! ^.^

Peace!


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